Jeep Wrangler

Comments

Heck, you can have mine for shipping. They don't weigh much, just plastic. However, the body damage is another story. I replaced my rear bumper with a Tomken. I don't know if it would have protected the tub, but it would have put a serious hurt on the car that hit it. Insurance will probably just write you a check. After the body is fixed, there should be some credit for the bumper that you can use however you want.

This was an excellent "caution", if you will, to those who have not yet driven a vehicle with characteristics of a Jeep that you mentioned. Having a been a pickup truck guy for the past many years, the higher center of gravity/shorter-narrower wheelbase of my Jeep has made me more cognizant of turning speeds, etc.

Not that I'm a lead-foot (those days are long since past!), but it helps to keep that in mind in the event your path is interferred with, i.e., deer running in front of you, inattentive drivers at intersections, etc.

Evasive action(s) in a Jeep may not bring the same, safe results it would in a vehicle with a wider wheel base, lower center of gravity, etc.

So, it's particularly critical to use expanded defensive driving techniques when Jeepin'. My philosophy has always been to expect the unexpected.

Now...I'm off MY soapbox! Guess your post got me thinking about all the redlight runners here in Tuscaloosa, and how that just irritates me to no end.

It's not just Jeeps either; a SUV slid off the road to the ski resort this morning and rolled 400 feet down an embankment. It sounds like they all survived, but the road has been closed for four hours now.

As I was heading downtown this morning some clown in a pickup saw me apply my brakes as a stoplight turned yellow and took that as a signal to floor his truck and run the light.

I caught up with him a mile down the road, broken down and blocking traffic at a light. I thought it was a bit of poetic justice. :P

It's acting as though you haven't fastened your seatbelt, so assuming you do have your seatbelt fastened, it's probably either a problem with the seatbelt switch, the switch ground, or the seatbelt switch sensor in the instrument cluster. Either way, your warranty should take care of it.

Thanks to all for the sympathy replies. My complaints are all tongue-in-cheek but my first thought after seeing the damage was that a 2.5 inch OME suspension lift would have prevented the tub damage and that I finally knew what the bumper pontoons (Drew, is that what they're called?) are good for.

Tom, you are right...I've been lurking (and enjoying) around the site for some time. My family of dog lovers was truly touched by your love for RA and can understand your sorrow. They were glad to see that you had adopted Hank. They think he's cute. How do you sense that someone is a lurker???

Eric, we have some things in common other than Wranglers. I'm an OK State grad but I was there from 80-85. My dad is from the Enid area...Aline and Cleo Springs to be exact.

Drew, thanks for the generous pontoon offer but the replacement is already here. It looks like the metal portion of my bumper survived so I won't be getting any bumper credit. I've already got the Jeep in the shop and I think I may get it back tomorrow!!! It was ready for primer and paint late yesterday.

Thelma Jane has been running AWFUL after sitting a while during our breaks on the trail when we are wheelin'. If she is up to normal operating temperature and then shut down for a few minutes, she just barely runs at all immediately after being restarted. This only lasts for a few seconds, and then she picks up and runs normally.

The MIL indicator is throwing code 0030 (if I remember correctly), and when I looked it up, it said multiple cylinder misfire. Well, DUH! I knew that.

Could vapor lock possibly be a factor, Mac? Guess it wouldn't throw the misfire code, if that were the case, right?

TomHave you hugged your Jeep today?

P.S. For those who don't already know, Thelma Jane is an 01 Sport, so she has the 4.0L inline six with distributorless ignition. She has about 60K miles on her with the orginal spark plugs.

Vapor lock isn't usually a problem on fuel injected vehicles due to the volume and pressure generated by the pump.

She has about 60K miles on her with the orginal spark plugs.

Mmmm, not exactly been keeping up with routine maintenance have you? You should have new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor by now. I won't say it is an ignition problem but why not replace those items as they're due anyway. That will either fix the problem or eliminate a bunch of possibilities, and it'll help bring your servicing up to date.

It's most likely to be a temperature induced failure, and if it's not in the primary ignition components the next in line would probably be one of the CPS units. Although it should throw a code if one fails, it won't if it's an intermittant fault.

Red Ryder was doing exactly the same thing, plus hard to start, a couple of months back. Finally took it to the dealer. Turns out I had a couple of problems. The hard to start part was due to the fuel pump loosing pressure. This caused it to not get that little initial squirt of fuel at start up. The rough running (and like you said, it was AWFUL) that cleared up after five to ten seconds was caused by two bad oxygen sensors.

New fuel pump and O2 sensors completely fixed both problems. I guess they had to drop the gas tank to fix the pump. Now my fuel gauge is screwed up.

Now for the rest of the story. In my effort to self diagnose and fix the problem, I changed the spark plugs (took about an hour, next time will probably be 30 minutes), cleaned the throttle body and replaced the air filter. While the shop had it, I had them do the auto transmission recommended service. Except for changing the fluids in the diff's and transfer case I am about caught up with the 30k service at 28k.

I've about made up my mind to go up to 31's, but really would like to keep my stock Ecco group 15 X 8 wheels (I'm presently running the 225/75-15's).

If anyone has 31's with their stock wheels, I would be intrested in seeing a pic(s) if you wouldn't mind. Either post or e-mail me (I'm public).

Also, Tomster informed me that with 31's I "may" have some rubbing on the lower control arms at full steering turn(he didn't with Thelma Jane)with the stock wheel backspacing, but installing a washer someplace or another would be a simple remedy.

Have any of you with 31's and stock wheels experienced any problems?

Appreciate it!

Randy

P.S. Tom, good luck with getting Thelma Jane healthy. I know how you must be agonizing over her sputtering!

Whether or not you'll need to space out the steering stops with a washer or two will entirely depend on the line worker who set up your steering at the factory.

The steering stop is simply a bolt that's screwed into the front carrier. The head of the bolt is the contact point that stops the steering from being turned any further. One it has been adjusted, a nut already threaded onto the bolt is tightened against the carrier, to lock the bolt in place. The nut is then tack welded to the bolt thread to lock it into place. Any adjustment must now be made by removing the now solid bolt/nut and using a washer to space it out a little.

Because of the nature of the steering stop construction, every Wrangler is a little different. In other words, you'll have to suck it and see!

Well, they're on and look AWESOME! Thanks, Tom, for talking me into the 31's as opposed to the 30's. The whole package looks fantastic, and they ride better than expected for such an aggressive tread. The spare fit easily.

However, the stainless centre caps that I ordered came in the wrong size, so I have none on for now. The guy at the tire shop told me the correct size will arrive in a few days, but other than that, very pleased. Can't wait to try 'em out off the road!!

Ryan

PS: Got the 4" backspacing wheels, stick out slightly like Tom said, but no rubbing at full turn.

Being of a generally mistrusting nature :blush: , I decided to double check your DTC code 0030, which is actually for an oxygen sensor heater relay fault, not a multiple misfire which is 0300. This makes more sense as an O² sensor can cause your problem and a heater supply fault almost always throws a code.

Anyhow, this all rather depends on which code it was, but I'd still advise you to replace the overdue ignition components even if it turns out to be the O² heater supply relay at fault.

Edit: To be more accurate, the code description is a fault in the O² sensor heater relay circuit, so it could just be a faulty connection or damaged wire.

"Tom, you are right...I've been lurking (and enjoying) around the site for some time. My family of dog lovers was truly touched by your love for RA and can understand your sorrow. They were glad to see that you had adopted Hank. They think he's cute. How do you sense that someone is a lurker???"

Dennis:

It was just the way you said something in your original post that made it sound to me like you had been around a while. I can't even remember what is was now.

If your family is a dog-loving bunch of people, then you guys rate high in my book.

Thanks for your sympathy concerning my loss of Ross Allen. Three and a half months later, it still hurts a LOT. I know I will have my "moments" as long as I live. You just don't get over losing your soulmate.

Hank is a lot of fun, and my love for him is growing day by day. We're gonna be great buds. He is sure a good Jeep dog.